A Webinar for Survivors and Those Who Care for Them
Forgiveness is something that brings up many different emotions for those who have been harmed through clergy or non-clergy sexual abuse. In this presentation we will attempt to define forgiveness and discuss the act of forgiving as done by an injured party to an offender. We will also discuss that when we forgive ourselves it is in light of the fact that we acted unjustly. Hopefully we will come to understand that damaged parties can be further injured by misplaced guilt and shame. It is most often true that victims need to be healed rather than be granted forgiveness.
For more information contact Paula Kaempffer, Coordinator for Restorative Practices and Survivor Support for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis: [email protected]. Please register below in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with the link to join the meeting. Please save this because it will allow you entry into the webinar.
Stephen J. Pope is a Professor in the Department of Theology at Boston College, where he teaches courses on social justice, the virtues, and the intersection of science and theology. He received his BA in philosophy from Gonzaga University and his MA and Ph.D. in theological ethics from the University of Chicago. His publications include Human Evolution and Christian Ethics (Cambridge University Press, 2007), and A Step Along the Way: Models of Christian Service (Orbis, 2015). He is currently working on a book project entitled, God’s Love and Ours: A Christian Ethic of Forgiveness. He has worked for over ten years as a volunteer for Catholic chaplaincies in several Massachusetts’ prisons and presented in a variety of workshops focused on the contribution of faith communities to restorative justice and political reconciliation for Catholic Relief Services and the Jesuit Refugee Service.